1. Field of the Invention
A currency storage device for stacking and storing paper currency and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various containers have been designed for storing paper or relatively resilient cards or notes such as banknotes, postal orders, credit cards, security tags, tickets, vouchers, invoices and the like. Such devices are used to temporarily store paper notes usually held in a horizontal or vertical stack by means of a spring loaded clamp as in a cash register or adjacent lockable drawer. In either case, when additional notes are to be stored, the existing stack of notes is temporarily exposed with the risk of theft. Thus, security boxes commonly referred to as "drop boxes" are employed. Periodically, personnel remove the "drop box" from the secured position to a secure area for accounting.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,655 relates to a container for storing banknotes or the like comprising a reception chamber for receiving notes, a storage chamber for storing such notes, means forming a constriction between the reception and storage chambers of width less than that of the smallest note to be handled and a plunger for forcing the notes from the reception chanber through the constriction to the storage chamber. Two separate keys are necessary to remove and gain access to the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,390 teaches a portable safe locked within a housing located at a work station for receiving currency deposited directly into the safe without exposing the contents of the safe. The safe includes a currency transfer tray movable into and out of the container and a pivoting wiper element for sweeping the transfer tray to discharge currency from the currency transfer tray into the safe.
U.S. 3,101,892 discloses a bill-receiving cash box to guide bills into a small area without jamming.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,931 shows a cash box for currency having an opening through which bills are introduced into the cash box to form a stack of currency within the cash box. A closure is movable to an open position to permit bills to be introduced therethrough. The closure is movable to a closed position adjacent the opening to prevent the removal of paper currency from the stack of currency. A latch for the closure permits the closure to be moved between the open and closed positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,033 discloses a tamper resistant safe including an enclosure body formed to define a top opening. The top opening is enlarged and includes part of one side and part of the top to provide easy access to the safe interior. The enclosure top and side portions immediately adjacent to the opening include reinforcing constructions which cooperate with a sliding cover in a manner to reinforce and protect all junctions to discourage unauthorized entry therethrough.
Additional examples of the prior art are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,624,772; 1,9l7,517; 2,429,494; 2,465,431; 3,026,023; 3,052,468; 3,087,724; 3,120,384; 3,741,132; 3,799,539; 3,854,613; 3,917,260; 4,000,892; 4,019,730; 4,045,017; 4,051,790; 4,418,824; 4,451,030 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,118.